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Personal Selling Opportunities in the Age of Information

Selling TodaySelling Today

2

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Personal Selling inthe Age of Information

Personal Selling inthe Age of Information

One can add value to information by:

• Collecting it

• Organizing it

• Clarifying it

• Presenting it in a convincing manner

Selling skills are transferable skills

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• Customer service representatives (CSR)

• Professionals

• Entrepreneurs

• Managerial personnel

Knowledge Workers Benefitfrom Personal Selling SkillsKnowledge Workers Benefitfrom Personal Selling Skills

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Your Future in Personal SellingYour Future in Personal Selling

“Students tend to view salesas dynamic and active butbelieve a selling careerrequires them to engage indeceitful or dishonestpractices.”

• These are OLD stereotypes

• Ethical sales practices arethe key to success

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Sales Is PervasiveSales Is Pervasive

• 500 largest sales forces in America employ 17.5 million salespeople

• These companies will seek to recruit 500,000 college graduates

• The number of sales positions is increasing in industrialized countries

• Hundreds of selling career options to match individual interests, talents, and ambitions

• Most occupations involve some form of selling

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Large U.S. Sales ForcesLarge U.S. Sales Forces

TABLE 2.1

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Sales Titles VarySales Titles Vary

• Account executive

• Account representative

• Sales account manager

• Relationship manager

• District representative

• Sales consultant

• Client development manager

• Sales associate

• Marketing representative

• Territory manager

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How Salespeople Spend an Average 46-Hour Work WeekHow Salespeople Spend an

Average 46-Hour Work Week

FIGURE 2.1

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Rewards of Selling CareersRewards of Selling Careers

• Above-average income

• Above-average “psychic” income

• Opportunity for advancement

• Opportunities for women and minorities

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Executive and Sales Force Compensation

Executive and Sales Force Compensation

TABLE 2.2

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Women and MinoritiesWomen and Minorities

• Growing opportunities for both women and minorities

• More women are turning to sales as a career

• Companies recognizea need for a more diverse sales force

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Employment Settingsin Selling Today

Employment Settingsin Selling Today

• Selling a service

• Selling for a retailer

• Selling for a wholesaler

• Selling for a manufacturer

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Selling a ServiceSelling a Service

• Financial services

• Radio, television, and Internet advertising

• Newspaper advertising

• Hotel, motel, and convention center services

• Real estate

• Insurance

• Banking

• Business services

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Selling a ServiceSelling a Service

See theWebsite

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Special Case:Radio Advertising Sales

Special Case:Radio Advertising Sales

• More than 10,000 radio stations in the United States

• Work with local, regional, and national accounts

• Local and national training,certification

• In medium markets,compensation canreach $100,000+

See the Website

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Retail SellingRetail Selling

• Automobiles

• Musical instruments

• Photographic equipment

• Fashion apparel

• Major appliances

• Recreational vehicles

• Television and radio receivers

• Furniture/decorating supplies

• Tires and related accessories

• Computers

Product categories like these usually require a high degree of personal selling

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Wholesale SellingWholesale Selling

Inside salesperson

• Relies heavily on phone orders

• More office-based

• Internet often used for support

• Inside sales growing in popularity as a cost-saving move

Outside salesperson

• On-the-road

• Duties vary

• Often must be familiar with many products

• Must know details of customer’s operation

• Serves as consultant to the customer

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Manufacturer SellingManufacturer Selling

Field salesperson

• Gains new customers

• Increases sales for existing customers

Detail salesperson

• Assists clients with marketing, collects data

• Not compensated on amount sold

Sales engineer

• Knows technical details

• Must identify, analyze, solve customer problems

Inside salesperson

• Takes orders

• Supports field staff

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Telemarketing Sales ChannelTelemarketing Sales Channel

Telemarketing: a channel in which the sales process is conducted by telephone

• Serves two purposes: sales and service

• Inside sales, backup for outside sales

• Sometimes used to maintain contact with smaller customers

• Also used to find and qualify prospects

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Learning How to SellLearning How to Sell

“The principles of selling can be learned and applied by people whose personal characteristics are quite different.”

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Four Sources of Sales TrainingFour Sources of Sales Training

• Corporate-sponsored training

• Training provided by commercial vendors

• Certification programs

• College and university courses

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Corporate-sponsored TrainingCorporate-sponsored Training

• Many firms have established programs

• Millions are spent in training each year

• Salespeople among the most intensively trained employees

• Training for consultative selling may be a few months to a year

• Some Web-based training used

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Commercial Vendor:Huthwaite’s SPIN Selling

Commercial Vendor:Huthwaite’s SPIN Selling

See the Website

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Commercial Vendor:Acclivus Corporation Commercial Vendor:

Acclivus Corporation

See the Website

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Certificate Programs: The Certified Medical Representative

Certificate Programs: The Certified Medical Representative

See the Website

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University Courses:A Sales Training Facility

University Courses:A Sales Training Facility

Courtesy: Nicholls State University